NBA Playoffs: Miami sweeps aside Milwaukee

"It's so hard to win on the road in the playoffs ... It's a big step for us," said LeBron James, who scored 30 in the Heat's win.

MILWAUKEE - LeBron James can cross another item off his to-do list.

James scored 30 points, Ray Allen had another big game against his old team and the Miami Heat got their first playoff sweep in the Big Three era, advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals with an 88-77 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.

"It was our next big step as far as our growth," James said. "It's so hard to win on the road in the playoffs, in someone's building - especially when someone is playing for their last life. It's a big step for us."

And now the Heat have some much-needed time to rest. Dwyane Wade sat out Sunday's game, only the second postseason game he's missed in his career, because of his aching right knee. But with Miami not playing until Saturday, at the earliest, he'll have plenty of time to treat the three bone bruises that caused him to miss six games near the end of the regular season.

Miami plays the winner of the Brooklyn-Chicago series. The Bulls lead that series 3-1, with Game 5 tonight in New York.

"It's big," Wade said of the time off. "Obviously, we're one of the oldest teams in the league, maybe the oldest team in terms of rotation players. Guys have some bumps and bruises coming out of this series, so it's going to be great to get some rest. But also we have to take this time to continue to stay sharp, to continue to stay in shape as well."

Judging by the clinical way in which the Heat dissected the Bucks in this series, that isn't likely to be a problem.

The defending NBA champions won each game by double digits, getting contributions from their stars and subs alike. Allen finished with 16 points, the third time in the series he scored in double figures, and was 4 of 7 from three-point range.

Udonis Haslem added 13 points and five rebounds, and Mario Chalmers kicked in eight rebounds and six assists for Miami, which never trailed Sunday.

"They had the whole package," Bucks coach Jim Boylan said. "When you can afford to sit guy like Dwyane Wade and perform at the level they performed at, that's a championship-caliber team."

Monta Ellis led the Bucks with 21 points, and Larry Sanders had 11 rebounds to go with seven points.

But Milwaukee got almost nothing again from Brandon Jennings, who didn't even play in the fourth quarter. Jennings, who had guaranteed the Bucks would win the series in six games, finished with three points on 1-of-7 shooting.

Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 29 points as they forced a fifth game in the series, but it was Terry who provided the finishing touches.

In Game 3, he had been elbowed by J.R. Smith, and the NBA suspended the Knicks guard for Sunday's game.

New York had tied the game at 84 after trailing by 20 points early in the third quarter. It was 88-all before the Celtics regained control and took the lead for good on a three-pointer by Terry. Carmelo Anthony, who led the Knicks with 36 points, hit a short jumper, but Terry connected on a 15-footer with 50 seconds remaining for a 93-90 lead.

After Anthony missed a three-pointer with 21 seconds to go, Terry was fouled and sank both free throws. He added a layup to close out the game.

But the Celtics still have a huge deficit in trying to become the first team to win after trailing a series 3-0.

Game 5 is Wednesday night in New York, where the Knicks can win their first playoff series in 13 years.

Jeff Green scored 26 points for the Celtics and Terry finished with 18.

• Warriors 115, Nuggets 101: In Oakland, Calif., Stephen Curry shook off a sore left ankle to score 22 of his 31 points in the third quarter, leading Golden State to a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Curry shot 10 of 16 from the floor and added seven assists in a dominant and dazzling display that rivaled his days in the NCAA tournament for tiny Davidson. His five three-pointers in the third quarter lifted Golden State to a 20-point lead and its third straight victory in this frenetic and flashy series.

Jarrett Jack added 21 points and nine assists and Andrew Bogut broke out in the first half with 12 points and five rebounds for the sixth-seeded Warriors, who can close out the Nuggets in Game 5 on Tuesday night in Denver.